A fair is a bit like a stage: a place where eloquent demonstrators, keyed-up competitors and impatient customers rub shoulders. The traders have to pull out all the stops to sell as much merchandise as possible in just a few days, while those taking part in the competitions hope to see months of training rewarded... with all the participants sharing the same ingredients: stress and excitement.

No two fairs are alike. Each has its own speciality, its own vendors, its own events and its own competitions, as in livestock fairs, a tradition that has endured for centuries.